Urgent: 10 ways to pray for Syria

Please join a call for prayer for peace and healing in Syria, after recent shocking events.

In the past 72 hours, Syria has faced an unprecedented escalation in its ongoing crisis. Yesterday, reports emerged that President Bashar al-Assad – who has ruled Syria for more than 20 years – has fled the country amidst escalating violence and political turmoil. Russian state media now reports that Assad is in Moscow.

The fall of the Assad regime has sent shockwaves across the region, intensifying fears of a complete power vacuum and a potential surge in factional violence. Some Syrians are overjoyed at Assad’s downfall. Others are more cautious.

Key infrastructure, including power stations and communication networks, has been targeted in coordinated attacks, further plunging parts of the country into chaos. Civilians are being displaced at an alarming rate, while minority communities, including Christians, are bracing for an uncertain future.

The situation is volatile. But Christian leaders remain committed to serving their communities, even as they face unprecedented challenges and uncertainty as they navigate the new reality.

“Like all Syrians, the Christian community is stunned by this rapid change in Syria’s political reality,” says a spokesperson for Open Doors. “In this kind of situation, uncertainty is always present: no one knows how the new leadership in Syria will treat minorities, including Christians. Believers there have endured so much, and many likely remember the worst treatment under some groups at the height of the civil war.”

Open Doors calls on the global community to uphold the people of Syria – especially the Christian minority – in prayer. “Syrian Christians are asking us to pray for peace, for wisdom and for the new leadership of the country to be committed to reconciliation for all Syrians,” the Open Doors spokesperson says. “Christians are also asking us to pray that they will be lights of hope and peace in the midst of a chaotic time in Syria’s history.”

Here are 10 ways you can pray:

1. Pray for unity among leaders, that they keep the Syrian people’s interest as a first priority
2. Urgently pray for peace in Syria, that the cycle of violence would cease, that there would be no spirit of vengeance against anyone, and that God’s justice and mercy would prevail in this land that has been troubled for more than a decade
3. Pray for the leaders of all factions to be moved towards reconciliation and for the protection of innocent civilians
4. Lift up Christian communities in prayer, asking for strength and courage
5. Pray for the other minorities (Alawites and others), that they will be protected to avoid more bloodshed 
6. Pray for the church to remain a beacon of hope and love, even as it faces immense challenges
7. Pray for church leaders, that they (re)commit to their calling to serve the church and their society at large
8. Ask God to grant wisdom to church leaders as they guide their communities
9. Pray for safety and resilience for families forced to make impossible choices about whether to stay or to leave
10. Finally, pray for healing for Syria as a nation, that broken relationships would be restored and that the hope of Christ would shine, bringing comfort to the weary and a future to those who feel forgotten. May the global church stand in unity, interceding for our brothers and sisters in Syria and for all those longing for peace and justice.

Due to the current situation in Syria, we kindly request that you refrain from sharing any Open Doors content related to the country on social media for the time being. This precaution is necessary, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation. We will keep you informed should the situation change.